California Telehealth Resource Center
Provides free training courses related to different topics in telemedicine. Example of courses offered is Telehealth 101: A Quick Start Guide, Telehealth Coordinator Series.
We are committed to developing and maintaining a clinic-community link via telegenetics (telehealth and telemedicine) to increase access and genetic services delivery to populations, including the medically underserved.
Starting a Telegenetics Clinic
Are you thinking about starting a telegenetics clinic? Have you started a telegenetics clinic and are looking for ways to sustain it? If so, there are several things to consider. Here you will find a general overview and steps to help you on the journey of starting and sustaining a telegenetics clinic.
Telemedicine Terminology
You will want to become familiar with words and terms that are commonly used among health care providers and patients to describe different aspects of telemedicine. Listed below, you will find some of the most common terms with their respective definitions.
Asynchronous (store and forward): Asynchronous encounters where information, oftentimes photos or medical history, are shared between the patient and provider. For example, sending a picture of a dysmorphic feature.
Direct to consumer visits: Telehealth visits that are requested on-demand by the consumer; they can be synchronous or asynchronous; for example, an urgent care visit requested by a patient from the patient’s home.
Distant site: The site where the provider is located. This can be the provider’s office, home, or hospital.
Originating site: The site where the patient is located. This can be the patient’s home, a different clinic office from the provider, school, hospital, or other location.
Presenter: The person who assists the patient at the originating site; a presenter is not always needed, depending on the use case and technology used. A presenter can be a nurse, dietitian, physician, etc.
Remote patient monitoring: Use of technology to track a patient’s health at a distance and send data to the provider in real time. For example, a heart monitor or a smartwatch that monitors a patient’s heart, blood pressure, or other data permitted by the technology and provider.
Synchronous (real-time): Use of a videoconferencing platform that allows for live interactions between a patient and a provider. For example, a geneticist connecting via video to see a patient for a follow-up visit.
Telemedicine/Telegenetics Training
As many more providers are using telemedicine to connect with their patients, there are training resources available to help you provide the best care using telemedicine. Listed below are options for you to explore for telegenetics and telemedicine.
Heartland Regional Genetics Network Telegenetics Training
Telegenetics training is available for genetic counselors and medical geneticists. Interested individuals must request training on the Heartland website.
The National School of Applied Telehealth
Offers telehealth courses for providers to increase their knowledge on telehealth and telehealth services. These courses are self-paced.
Telemedicine Resources for Professionals
Center for Connected Health Policy
Links to the current telehealth policy laws for each state by a nonprofit organization focused on providing up-to-date information on policy-related telehealth regulations.
National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC)
A collaboration between 12 regional centers and 2 national centers to develop and help sustain telehealth programs, especially those that target medically underserved and rural populations.
Telehealth Resource Webliography for COVID-19 Pandemic
A PDF compiled by Michael Edwards, PhD, Northeast Telehealth Resource Center, January 28, 2021.